Mulholland Speedster Wins Sacramento Autorama

The Sacramento Autorama celebrated its 67th year and handed out over 400 individual awards during its closing ceremony on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in California.

The most prestigious of these awards were the Custom d’Elegance which was awarded to the ‘Mulholland Speedster’ built by Hollywood Hot Rods, the King of Kustoms award which went to John D’Agostino, and the H.A Bagdasarian World’s Most Beautiful Custom award which was presented to the ‘Mulholland Speedster’ built by Hollywood Hot Rods.

The Sacramento Autorama 2017 did not disappoint fans, with over 650 custom vehicles on display for the 35,000 people in attendance. The cars in attendance were the best in their categories which included everything from radical customs to motorcycles, trucks, hot rods, muscle cars, and street machines. At the end of the weekend, the best of the best were recognized with one of the Sacramento Autorama trophies.

The most coveted award of the Sacramento Autorama was the Custom d’Elegance which was given to the best chopped, channeled and sectioned vehicle from 1935-1948 that embodied the true spirit of a classic custom. This year, Troy Ladd of Hollywood Hotrods beat out the other five contenders earning his spot customizers like Gene Winfield, Joe Bailon, George Barris, and John D’Agostino on the perpetual plaque as well as $2,000 in prize money. Troy Ladd’s car, a 1936 Packard called the ‘Mulholland Speedster’ and owned by Bruce Wanta, is now also the only vehicle in history to win both the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster and Custom d’Elegance titles.

‘Mulholland Speedster’ built by Hollywood Hot Rods

“The best thing about the Sacramento Autorama is that it gives custom builders a place to show off their vision of how they feel these classics should have looked originally,” said John Buck, owner of Rod Shows and producer of the Sacramento Autorama. “This year’s winners were shining examples of that. Troy Ladd’s history-making win as the first builder to ever win both the ‘Custom d’Elegance’ and ‘America’s Most Beautiful Roadster’ titles shows just how amazing his ‘Mullholland Speedster’ really is.”

The other top award at the show was the King of Kustoms, which recognized the best 1935-1964 custom build with particular focus on bodylines, design, flow, and quality of workmanship. Along with those features the judges also considered the use of color, design of the paint, as well as the look of the interior with the outward appearance maintaining the true spirit of a classic custom. This year’s winner was John D’Agostino with his 1958 Packard named ‘Rita’.

1958 Packard ‘Rita’ built by John D’Agostino

In addition to the Custom d’Elegance and King of Kustoms awards, there were four more awards given out known as the Big B awards. The first, called World’s Most Beautiful Custom, was given out by show creator H.A. Bagdasarian’s family and was presented to their favorite custom from 1936 to present that featured a silhouette change, including a chop, channel, or section. The winner, who got their name enshrined on the eight-foot tall perpetual trophy and the $500 prize, was Troy Ladd and his 1936 Packard Mullholland Speedster.

The second Big B award, known as the Sam Barris Memorial Award, was picked by the Barris family for best metal work, alignment of body panels, and paint. This year the Barris family chose Troy Ladd with his 1936 Packard for the award. The Joe ‘Candy Apple Red’ Bailon Award was designed, created, and handpicked by Joe Bailon who is known as one of the nation’s premier custom car designers and builders. This year the third Big B trophy and its $500 prize went to Joe and Carol Cusumano for their 1954 Mercury named ‘Tangerine On Ice’.

1954 Mercury ‘Tangerine On Ice’ built by Joe and Carol Cusumano

The Dick Bertolucci Automotive Excellence Award was the final Big B award of the event and was awarded to the vehicle manufactured before 1973 that Dick Bertolucci personally felt exhibited the best craftsmanship in assembly, fit and finish, and detail. This year, it was Michael McAuliffe and his 1940 Ford Sedan called ‘The Second Time Around’ which impressed Mr. Bertolucci enough to take home the trophy and $500 in prize money.

1940 Ford Sedan ‘The Second Time Around’ built by Michael McAuliffe

For the full list of Sacramento Autorama 2017 award winners, visit RodShows.com.